AWanderwort(German:[ˈvandɐvɔʁt],'migrant word', sometimes pluralized asWanderwörter,usually capitalized followingGerman practice) is a word that has spread as aloanwordamong numerous languages and cultures, especially those that are far away from one another. As such,Wanderwörterare a curiosity inhistorical linguisticsandsociolinguisticswithin a wider study oflanguage contact.[1]At a sufficient time depth, it can be very difficult to establish in which language or language family aWanderwortoriginated and into which it was borrowed.
Frequently, they are spread through trade networks, sometimes to describe a previously unfamiliar plant, animal or food.
Examples
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Typical examples ofWanderwörterarecannabis,sugar,[2]ginger,copper,[1]silver,[3]cumin,mint,wine,andhoney,some of which can be traced back toBronze Agetrade.
Tea,with its Eurasian continental variantchai(both have entered English), is an example[1]whose spread occurred relatively late in human history and is therefore fairly well understood:teais fromHokkienTràtê,specificallyAmoy dialect,from the Fujianese port ofXiamen,hence maritime; whileTràchá(whencechai)[4]is used in Cantonese and Mandarin.[5]
Chocolateandtomatowere both taken fromClassical Nahuatlvia Spanish into many different languages, although the specific origin ofchocolateis obscure.
Farang,a term derived from theethnonymFrankthroughArabicandPersian,refers to (typically white, European) foreigners. From the above two languages, the word has been loaned into many languages spoken on or near the Indian Ocean, includingHindi,Thai,andAmharic,among others.
Kangaroowas taken from theGuugu Yimithirrword for theeastern grey kangaroo;it entered English through the records ofJames Cook's expedition of 1770 and through English to languages around the world.
Orangeoriginated in aDravidian language(likelyTamil,TeluguorMalayalam), and whose likely path to English included, in order, Sanskrit, Persian, possibly Armenian, Arabic, Italian, and Old French.
The words for 'horse' across many Eurasian languages seem to be related such asMongolianморь(mor),Manchuᠮᠣᡵᡳᠨ (morin),Korean말(mal),JapaneseMã(uma), andThaiม้า(máː), as well asSino-Tibetan languagesleading toMandarinMã(mǎ), andTibetanརྨང(rmang). It is present in severalCelticandGermanic languages,whenceIrishmarcand Englishmare.[6][7]
References
edit- ^abcTrask, Robert Lawrence (January 2000).The Dictionary of Historical and Comparative Linguistics.Psychology Press. p. 366.ISBN1-57958-218-4.Retrieved12 October2014.
- ^Hock, Hans Henrich; Joseph, Brian D. (1 January 1996).Language History, Language Change, and Language Relationship: An Introduction to Historical and Comparative Linguistics.Walter de Gruyter. p. 254.ISBN3-11-014784-X.Retrieved12 October2014.
- ^Boutkan, Dirk; Kossmann, Maarten (2001)."On the Etymology of 'Silver'".North-Western European Language Evolution.3:3–15.doi:10.1075/nowele.38.01bou.Retrieved12 October2014.
- ^"chai".American Heritage Dictionary.
chai: A beverage made from spiced black tea, honey, and milk. Etymology: Ultimately from Chinese (Mandarin)chá.
- ^Dahl, Östen."Feature/Chapter 138: Tea".The World Atlas of Language Structures Online.Max Planck Digital Library.Retrieved4 June2008.
- ^Adams, Douglas Q. (1997).Encyclopedia of Indo-European Culture.Taylor & Francis.ISBN1-884964-98-2.
- ^Benedict, Paul K. (15 June 1972). Matisoff, James A. (ed.)."Sino-Tibetan: A Conspectus".
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